Michael Weir: Strength in depth now clear at Hibs

Saturday’s victory over Dumbarton proves just how far we have progressed under Alan Stubbs.

There was never any danger Hibs would come away with anything other than the three points at the weekend – something that couldn’t be said when the league kicked off in August.

The scoreline could have been far greater had we taken the ample opportunities that came our way but securing the three points is all that really matters at this stage in the season.

Having seen Rangers leapfrog us in the league with victory over Raith Rovers on Friday night, it was great to end the weekend having reclaimed second spot.

With the squad looking stronger by the week, it seems the manager and his coaching staff have a real dilemma on their hands when naming their starting line-up.

On Saturday, Alan even had the luxury of tinkering with the starting XI and giving the likes of David Gray and Jason Cummings a well-deserved rest even though we were without Scott Allan and Liam Craig.

The new coaching team deserve massive credit for the overhaul of the squad that has left them with an array of options at their disposal. The personnel available is like night and day compared to the group that went down last season, and this is being reflected by results and performances.

It is important we keep the winning momentum going between now and the end of the season as we home in on a play-off space. We can’t take things for granted just yet because Falkirk and Queen of the South are still only seven points behind us and both are capable of going on runs themselves.

Hopefully we can stay on track this weekend when we return to Alloa, a venue we have already suffered defeat at in the league.

We are a different side entirely to the one that lost there in August, but Barry Smith’s side are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the division and are sure to battle for everything.

With a favourable Scottish Cup quarter-final tie at home to Berwick Rangers a week on Saturday, we are entering a crucial period in our season.